Have you ever come home after a long, stressful day and felt even more stressed the moment you walked in? Or do you want to pull your hair out if you’re home all day with the kids and it’s messy and noisy? Our homes can be welcoming, safe spaces, or they can be chaotic.
Over the years, I have been learning and experimenting with what it looks like to create a neuro-friendly home. I’ve shared this part before, but I wanted to put it all in one place. These are what have worked for me and what I have come to call upon over time. Many of them are free, many of them are simple, and all of them are easy enough.
Home is like a partner to our nervous system. Our environment reinforces safety signals or sends subtle danger signals throughout the day. And for many of us, especially moms, home is where most of our nervous system triggers live. A 2009 study also found a direct link between clutter and stress levels in women.
My goal when I walk into a home is for my nervous system to feel like it’s in a comforting hug. It feels like your body begins to relax and relax without you even realizing it.
How Your Home Talks to Your Nervous System
Our nervous system is constantly scanning. Notice light signals, sounds, visual distractions, smells, temperature, predictability, and social cues. These signals occur hundreds or thousands of times a day.
When these cues lean toward “unsafe,” our baseline tends to remain in sympathetic mode, or fight or flight. Leaning toward “safety” relaxes the body into parasympathetic mode, making it easier for digestion, recovery, connection, and sleep to occur.
I talk a lot about healthy foods and supplements, but these things don’t work properly when our nervous system is under constant stress. In this article, I’ll look at what made the biggest difference to me. Find out what you like and what you’d like to add or remove from your space.
Light: The biggest nervous system lever in the home
You’ve probably heard me talk about light a lot. Because I believe that light is one of the greatest signals we can send to the body. Light is a massive safety or danger signal, and in most cases the right kind of lighting is free or inexpensive. To me, light is at least as important as diet and supplements. Ideally, it’s both.
Getting natural light first thing in the morning, preferably within an hour after sunrise, is a huge needle mover. Some easy ways to do this include going outside as soon as you wake up, often barefoot and usually in pajamas. Fully open the blinds during the day and keep the windows open (yes, even when it’s cold outside!).
morning sunlight
When morning sunlight enters our eyes, a hormonal cascade begins that helps keep everything in alignment. You’ll want to make sure the light isn’t filtering through windows or glasses. But don’t look directly at the sun! Some people even wear blue-blocking glasses when they go outdoors, so the sunrise light is the first thing that hits their eyes.
I like to stack this with other habits. If it’s not too cold, ground yourself with your feet on the ground while you’re outside and hydrate with bottled water. I keep a quart of salt water and/or minerals on my bedside table so I can grab them easily.
During the day you really want bright light. Blue light itself is not harmful, but timing is important. During the brightest hours of the day, blue light signals the alertness and metabolism we desire. I also like to go out in the afternoon for about 10 minutes under bright light and have a “light snack.”
Inside the home, use flicker-free, full-spectrum light bulbs during the day.
evening light signal
Evening light is where I am most intentional. In a perfect world, we perceive the light environment after sunset. Bright lights at night can signal to your body that it’s daytime, putting stress on your nervous system.
Whenever possible, I try to eat early, not eat at least 3 hours before bed, and also keep the lights low. I switch to warmer, lower bulbs that mimic the feel of a sunset and campfire glow. Use lamps instead of overhead lights and keep the light below eye level. Our ancestors used lower, warmer light sources through candles and fires.
After sunset, avoid anything that sends out daylight signals, including bright LEDs and screens. When I need a screen, I use a Daylight computer without a red filter or backlight for writing or creative projects.
In my bedroom, I pull down the blackout shades after the sun sets, block out outdoor artificial lights, and turn on red-spectrum low-light bulbs. I try not to be on the screen by reading a book or drawing. For me, the structure of light and the structure of the nervous system are directly related.
peace and quiet
Sound is another big trigger that people don’t always think they appreciate. Household noise can affect cortisol and startle response even if we think we’ve adjusted it. A loud TV that’s always on, constant notifications, HVAC humming, appliances, noisy rooms, etc. can all be stressors.
There are often simple shifts here. Adding texture can weaken the sound. Turning the TV down or turning it off can help. White noise can calm the mind. In my bedroom I use a Jaspr air filter which provides a really beautiful white noise sound.
Notifications are another big one. My phone is almost always on silent or airplane mode. I don’t like vibrations or sounds, and rather than react to notifications, I only check them when I want to. And at night, my phone goes into the charging drawer in the kitchen.
Temperature and nervous system safety
Temperature is another often forgotten stressor. Extreme temperatures are certainly stressful, but even no change can wreak havoc on the body. Interestingly, overheated homes have been linked to increased irritability and stress hormones. In particular, the lower the temperature during sleep, the higher the vagal tone.
Aim for a comfortable interior space during the day, but not too warm. It keeps the bedroom much cooler at night, often in the 60s. Rather than heating the entire house, I prefer stacking warm blankets and using a chili pad to cool my mattress. Even when it was cooler outside, I got the best sleep with the windows open and a cozy blanket under me.
And while we’re on the subject of temperature, using a sauna can help our bodies become more resilient to stressors. Saunas are known to be hormonal stressors, the good kind of stress, which helps our bodies better self-regulate.
Visual load, confusion and mental stress
Especially for women, this is a big problem. Visual clutter drains our nervous system and increases stress levels. Every item we own is a micro decision. I once heard the saying, “Everything you own owns a little part of you,” and that really resonates with me.
Studies have shown that women are more affected by visual load than men. Clutter is often a sign of unfinished tasks, which can add more stress (you guessed it!). Over time, I became more focused on simplification and subtraction rather than organization. Cleaning surfaces, creating neutral spaces, and hiding visual noise through storage can help.
For me, decluttering cluttered spaces like my entryway, kitchen counter, and chairs in my bedroom has made a noticeable difference. Calm is a design strategy that is purposeful, not just aesthetic.
Bring the outside in
When you imagine a calm space, being in nature is also part of the picture. We are familiar with the safety signals nature provides. There is strong data showing that spending time in nature, even in the short term, benefits the nervous system and mind.
Likewise, bringing nature into your home can act as a safety signal. Natural materials such as wood, stone, clay, and natural fibers provide a sense of grounding. Our house has a lot of natural light, and we have more than a few plants in our bedroom. I’m adding more natural fabrics to my wardrobe and I love these linen bed sheets.
I feel more at peace when my home reflects nature, even in small parts.
Minerals are another way to bring nature into your home. I have a mineral water station, sea salt in the kitchen, bathroom amenities with Epsom salt, sea salt and essential oils. I have a hydration station in my kitchen with liquid minerals that I add to my kids’ drinks.
Grounding is another component. I love being barefoot outside, but I also use natural fiber rugs and blankets indoors. I love sitting on the floor as well as on a chair. Outdoor spaces such as terraces and hanging chairs blur the lines between indoors and outdoors.
Cozy corner and space
Emotional safety is foundational to our overall health. If our body is extremely tense and in fight or flight mode, healing is much more difficult. I have discovered that cozy, calming spaces within the home can be very regulating.
When my kids were little, indoor yoga swings and hanging chairs were incredibly soothing to their nervous systems. Movements are also controlled in adults. Since we live in a fairly warm climate, most of our swings live outdoors.
Create a calming space with a warm blanket and a charming book. Consider using weighted blankets and designating a quiet space to support regulation. Rituals and routines are also important. Morning routines and bedtime routines represent predictability and safety. This is especially true for children who grow up in some kind of structure.
For me, evening rituals like drinking a calming cup of cacao or listening to soothing music help signal that it’s time to slow down.
Bedroom as a nervous system repair station
If I had to prioritize one room, it would be the bedroom. Sleep is when repairs occur, so your bedroom should support this as much as possible.
In my bedroom, I prioritize complete darkness by installing blackout curtains and not using LEDs. Keep the room cool, use white noise, and minimize clutter. There is no TV or screen in the room, and I try not to bring a cell phone or computer. There’s no closet. Because all your clothes are in a closet out of sight!
I use linen bedding and natural mattresses, and I keep mineral water on my bedside table. In the evening, the lighting is soft and warm, so you can immediately feel your body relaxing. It’s not about adding space, it’s about removing space. Remove devices, blue lights, cables, clutter, and task notifications. My bedroom is a space for sleep and tranquility.
Kitchen as a nutritional space
The kitchen can also be a place to regulate your nervous system. Hydration zones, visible minerals, and simplified tools make nourishing easier and less stressful. Keeping surfaces tidy and easy to clean up reduces the burden. We will also make simple, healthy foods prominently visible so that children can easily eat them. The goal is to make your kitchen a nourishing, not stressful, space.
snowball effect
What I love about this is that a neuro-friendly home doesn’t have to be expensive. Many of the most impactful changes are free. Opening blinds and windows, turning off overhead lights at night, decluttering, reducing noise, keeping your bedroom cool, and adding natural elements can all change your nervous system.
This is about signaling, not aesthetics. It’s not about having a fancy house, fancy furniture, or extreme minimalism where everything is white. It’s about turning your home into a nervous system ally. These small changes can have a compounding effect over time, leading to big results.
Final Thoughts on Assumption of Neurological Support
Our homes are constantly sending signals to our nervous system, whether we realize it or not. When these signals support safety, regulation becomes easier and these small changes become more complex over time.
It’s not about having the perfect home, it’s about learning to embrace more serenity in an intentional way. These small shifts can help you work from home for the health of you and your family.
How have you created (or want to create) a more calm atmosphere in your home? Let us know by leaving a comment!
